American Biography

Although he was born a freeman, David Walker saw slavery first-hand during his childhood. Those experiences inspired him to write the Appeal, a long pamphlet which called for slaves to revolt (violently, if necessary) against their slave masters. The Appeal was banned in many parts of the country. Some people were even arrested for owning it. Despite its controversy, the pamphlet influenced many abolitionists and brought national attention to the cause of ending slavery.

In his writing, Walker contrased the system of slavery with the ideals that helped create America . His argument that slavery violated America ’s celebrated belief in liberty was used by many abolitionists.

This is an example of the types of materials abolitionists used to promote their cause. It combines powerful, controversial images with a descriptive text. In this case, the text is an anti-slavery poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.

David Walker’s Appeal called for immediate revolt. This passionate plea for change affected the next forty years of the abolitionist movement. One person influenced by David Walker’s call for rebellion was Nat Turner, a slave who led a violent revolt against slave owners in Virginia .